Public Law

The Public Interest Law Center renders legal services mainly to organized sectors of Philippine society on legal issues that have a direct or indirect impact on the lives of numerous classes. As a principal mission, PILC is committed towards fighting for actual, tangible, and quantifiable gains for its clients. On a supportive role, PILC realizes that its legal advocacy and battles inspire and promote the organization of the poor and oppressed and their conscientization towards fighting injustice andoppression.

The scope of PILC services ranges from legal services, education and training, advocacy, consultancy, legal research and library services. As a front line advocacy group, PILC is directly engaged in litigation, legal consultancy, and the legal audit of organizations and institutions as part of the scope of its legal services.

The PILC believes that it should exert every effort to translate legal victories and struggles into tangible gains for its clientele. In a way, PILC seeks to move human rights into the mainstream of public consciousness by disabusing the concept of its highly political connotation. By using public interest law as an effective instrument in seeking economic and social relief, reform and change, PILC champions not only the cause of human rights but the right to development of its clientele.

PILC IS GUIDED BY THE FOLLOWING PRINCIPLES IN THE HANDLING OF PUBLIC INTEREST CASES:

1. The issues fundamentally affect the lives of a large number of people usually a sector of society or even the whole society itself.

2. The issues arose out of a conflict of rights or interests and exploitation and oppression of the numerous poor by the tiny privileged sector and/or government policy or program.

3. Unlike the traditional practitioner, the public interest lawyer views and handles the legal issue and the case in the larger context of the nature and problems of our society.

4. Having accepted the professional responsibility to handle the public interest case, the lawyer initiates and assists in a process whereby the public interest issue and the legal battle are utilized for organizing, and raising the social awareness, unity and militance of the clients and other who support the cause of the clients,

5. The legal battle is not confined to the courtroom. The Public interest lawyer uses what the great lawyer, the late Jose W. Diokno calls meta-legal tactics, mobilizing and utilizing the clients’ strength, unity and militance, bringing the issues to the public, and rallying support for the clients’ cause.

6. In the handling of the case, the public interest lawyer interacts with his clients in the mutually beneficial way whereby he or she learns and deepens his or her commitment to the clients’ struggle for the empowerment and betterment of their live. The relationship is broadened from a mere professional one to a unity of understanding of the problems of Philippine society and common goals for fundamental reforms.

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